No, Skeeter. Tom was not gloating as you say, and I didn't say that either.
What Tom was engaging in is a time honoured tactic of internet debates when logic runs out, to start attacking the other party's grammar instead. (S)he has done that in the past as well. (S)he once sulked and declined to consider the rationale of anyone who cannot distinguish between its and it's.
(S)he probably forgot that the Internet is a global medium of exchange and majority of those posting in the Net do not have English as their first languages. Happens, if you do not grow up in a neighbourhood similar to Earlie's. So, for the intellectually strong and honest, looking past the grammar and at the reason is the norm, regardless of agreement or lack thereof. (See Earlie for an example, or Bakunin, or Wayne.) For the intellectually weak, well, if nothing works, there are always subjunctives.
Bengali is my first language, and any criticism of my English is accepted only in correct Bengali. Any criticism of my rationale is, of course, accepted in all languages, including Visual Basic.
Hope that helps. |
